Choral Director Craig G. Cannon is preparing diverse concert events with his two choirs as he prepares to retire this May.
On Saturday, April 29, at 3 pm, Faith United Methodist Church in Fox Chapel will host Craig Cannon Presents: A Farewell Kaleidoscope Celebration, a gathering of Craig’s friends presenting 60 continuous minutes of diverse music in celebration of his retirement. Then on May 13, Craig will conduct his very last concert with Belle Voci, the choir he founded in 2012 and has been in residence at Faith UMC since its inception.
Performers for the April 29 concert include Faith UMC’s Chancel Choir, Belle Voci, Denise Sheffey-Powell, Jude Barrett, Kelsey Benigni, Nate Copeland, Matt Keefer, Sasha Martin, and Carly Tansimore. The 60-minute concert also serves as a fundraiser for Faith UMC Music Program and Circles Sharpsburg, a local chapter of Circles USA, a national anti-poverty program. The event will include Craig’s Favorite Apple Pie Fundraiser with pies to taste, love, and buy—more info at faithfoxchapel.org/pie.
Belle Voci’s performance on Saturday, May 13, at 7:30 pm, at Calvary United Methodist Church at 971 Beech Avenue on Pittsburgh’s North Side will be Craig Cannon’s last. Entitled “Loving the Stranger,” it is a concert event performed in two parts – a multi-media production of Linda Tutas Haugen’s Anne Frank: A Living Voice and Signal Songs of the Underground Railroad. The concert’s title song, Loving the Stranger, a piece written for Belle Voci by David P. Goldstein, will open this performance.
The repertoire for Craig’s last concert with Belle Voci brings to light issues near and dear to Craig and the focus of Belle Voci’s mission, “Connecting Song and Community.” Craig cares deeply about this mission. He incorporates it into his music selections and instills it in those he works with so that the lives of singers and audience members alike are enriched with diverse customs and cultures.
Craig chose this concert’s repertoire with purpose and conviction. “We now live at a time in history when almost all holocaust survivors have passed away. The generation of younger people under age 20 likely will never have the opportunity to hear first-hand accounts from individuals who suffered and survived, telling the horrors they encountered. ‘Who will tell the story if we don’t?'” In addition, Craig adds that “Antisemitic and anti-immigrant attitudes are becoming pervasive in many global societies. I want Belle Voci to speak up on behalf of those who are different than ourselves, letting the world know that we are “all in this together” and need to work in consort to make our world a better place.”
Belle Voci will also perform a free, abbreviated, Sensory Friendly version of this concert on Saturday, May 6, at 2 pm at East Liberty Presbyterian Church, 116 S. Highland Ave. in East Liberty.
For details and ticketing, visit https:// www.bellevocipgh.com/
Categories: Show Previews
Congratulations, Craig!! Sure wish we lived closer…sounds like a wonderful concert!!
Sorry we can’t attend…returning from eastern Pennsylvania, after working with Jason Bizich’s choir at Harriton High School, Bryn Mawr. Best wishes!
I wish I could see your final concert. I know you will be missed. May God bless your 2nd retirement.